Councils Praised For Social Care
Council social services for adults have been praised for improving performance for the fifth successive year.
{mosimage}The Commission for Social Care Inspection said the number of English councils attaining two or three stars out of three rose from 78% to 81%.
And for the second year running none of the 150 councils got a zero star grade.
But experts pointed out that there was a growing number of people being denied care as councils tightened eligibility criteria amid a squeeze on finances.
The local authorities are judged on the quality of their services as well as their management of budgets.
The watchdog praised the work done in delivering home care, supporting carers and helping those with chronic illness stay out of hospital. The social care departments were also given credit for providing equipment and carrying out home adaptations for people.
More than 2m cases were handled last year – nine out of 10 within seven days, compared to three quarters three years previously.
The ratings for 2006 to 2007 show that 48 councils were given three stars, 74 two and 28 one. It means 24 councils had improved their star rating, compared to 15 which did worse.
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